Dictionary.com Word Of The Day
Sep. 25, 2016
albatross\AL-buh-traws, -tros\noun
1. a seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, as of guilt or
responsibility.
2. something burdensome that impedes action or progress.
QuotesIf the Republicans want a clean and decisive victory in November,
or perhaps any kind of victory, they must get rid of this albatross
before going to voters.
-- , "Morals and Politics: The Republicans Must Drop an Albatross
Before They Can Achieve Real Harmony," Life, July 14, 1952
Origin of albatrossAlbatross is related to the Portuguese term for
"pelican," alcatraz. The spelling was likely influenced by the Latin
word for "white," albus, due to the coloring of the bird. It entered
English in the late 1600s.More From Dictionary.comSubmit a favorite
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